The Dark Walk Forward

Literature & Fiction

McFarland, John S.

Genre Fiction

Dark Owl Publishing

"The magic system is unique and fascinating... the cast is diverse and well drawn... Fantasy readers will appreciate the settings and genuine sense of camaraderie among the characters..." Publishers WeeklyThe Fallen Lord knows how traditional stories unfold: And unlikely hero will gather a member of every race and every nation to discover his dark secret and cause his defeat. But the Fallen Lord has discovered a new tactic, and has made sure this group can never gather.And now, Adal, an old, world-weary man and the most unlikely of heroes, must guide those who survive.But will the stories be satisfied with the company he leads? Has the Fallen Lord at last found a way to conquer the Storied Lands by turning the very tales against them?Jonathon Mast has woven a tale where stories come alive. Their telling narrates the world around them, giving heroism to the brave or bringing evil to power. Mast brings a distinctive and varied cast along into an unusual quest, led by an aged king who carries his doubts in the folds of his robes. This rich and epic adventure shows us the power of imagination and the influence of true friends, and how the combination enhances our courage and gives us strength.Stories are alive. They will be told."This is an engaging and enjoyable book with many unexpected twists and trials. The characterizations are wonderful and fit the storyline almost too well. Each character plays its part well." The Library Journal

The Keeper of Tales

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Mast, Jonathon

Fantasy

A Pageant of Fantasy. A Feast of Thrills. A Revelry in Mystery. A Colloquium of Science Fiction.These four components are combined in this volume to celebrate the art and culture of storytelling.Each tale contains a festival, fair, carnival, or celebratory event to honor the antiquity and the importance of writing and scripture: to record history or to alter it, to entertain all types of populations, and to explore and explain the world around us.We are honored to have 58 stories from the below 39 authors. Their talents have embodied the mission of this anthology. From all walks of life, they have unique abilities to excite and inform, to render realism and alter imagination, to amaze, delight, terrify, and fascinate us as readers. Their work is more than worthy of this, A Celebration of Storytelling.Hansen Adcock Justin Boote Gustavo Bondoni Kenneth Bykerk Dwain Campbell Laura J. Campbell Gregg Chamberlain Stuart Croskell Lawrence Dagstine Danielle Davis GD Deckard Kevin M. Folliard John A. Frochio Steven Gladwin Kelly Kurtzhals Geiger Elana Gomel Max Griffin L.L. Hill Tim Jeffreys Carl R. Jennings Adrian Ludens Stefan Markos Jonathon Mast Andrew McCormick Jason J. McCuiston Bruce Meyer Christine Morgan Peter Emmett Naughton KB Nelson Gregory L. Norris Quinn Parker Eric Reitan Alistair Rey John B. Rosenman Bradley H. Sinor Susan P. Sinor Nickolas Urpi Christopher Wheatley Martin Zeigler

A Celebration of Storytelling

Morgan, Christine

McCuiston, Jason J.

Deckard, GD

Bondoni, Gustavo

Campbell, Laura J.

GOMEL, ELANA

Norris, Gregory L.

Sinor, Bradley H.

Sinor, Susan P.

Jennings, Carl R.

Short Stories & Anthologies

ACTION! A star devouring ship bears down on an unsuspecting colony, and only the Last Star Warden and his alien companion, Quantum, can stop it!SUSPENSE! An abandoned space station is terrorized by unearthly forces, and the Last Star Warden and Quantum must stop them before they destroy the galaxy!MYSTERY! A frantic call for help leads the Last Star Warden and his friend Quantum to a city of debauchery and secrets where madness threatens to overtake them!INTRIGUE! An intended vacation plunges the Last Star Warden and Quantum into the internecine warfare of corporate corruption!ADVENTURE! Held captive on the worst prison ship in the galaxy, the Last Star Warden must find a way to escape before Quantum is killed!Herein are five daring tales full of thrills and uncertainty from Jason J. McCuiston, author of the intriguing alternate history novel PROJECT NOTEBOOK. He gives us a fantastic new look at classic sci-fi pulp - the same themes are there, but with modern sensibilities thrown in, complete with his own illustrations. So if you're looking for stories reminiscent of the days when heroes of all kinds stood for justice and the common good, you'll love the adventures of the Last Star Warden!"The Last Star Warden is exactly what it looks like: a rollicking collection of space western stories. McCuiston delivers big with plenty of imagination and thrills. He pays homage to a western classic formula while injecting enough delightful alien weirdness to justify the intergalactic setting. The Warden and Quantum are unashamedly heroic heroes doing what's right in an unforgiving universe. Highly recommended." ~ Bryce Beattie, Editor of StoryHack Action & Adventure and author of Swordcrossed Frostbite"...the Last Star Warden meets all with steely grace and nobility - and a rare and refreshing level of pure, pulpy fun. Jason McCuiston's excellent book of adventures reads like a time warp back to boyhood Saturdays when classic Science Fiction played all afternoon on UHF. A fantastic experience!" ~ Gregory L. Norris, Author of the Gerry Anderson's Into Infinity novels by Anderson Entertainment

The Last Star Warden - Tales of Adventure and Mystery from Frontier Space - Volume 1

Science Fiction

Double, double toil and trouble…\nShakespeare began the tense apprehension with his melodic yet warning phrase. Ray Bradbury continued the dark and ominous foreboding that oozes between the words. Now, it has come to the North American Old West, a world with its severe terrain and hardened residents. The rules were harsher out here, the ethics and morals changed, the fight for life and liberty quite different than anything these pioneers, these outlaws, these six-shooters and rebel rousers, these unquestionably brave men and women had bargained for. For them, something wicked certainly rode.\nLike a hell-broth boil and bubble…\nIn this anthology, we explore the Old West with a skewed view, showcasing the weird western genre through stories that explore the peculiar and the fantastic, the wicked that was and could have been. You’ll experience spiritual nightmares, mythical monsters, cosmic outlaws, discerning gods, and science run amok. Even the North Pole Security division isn’t immune to the supernatural strangeness that stalks the late 1800s. In the tradition of the pulp and western stories of a bygone era, these are thirty tales to intrigue, amaze, and perhaps down right spook you right out of your boots.\nSo brew up some coffee, head out to the rocking chair on the porch, and tilt your hat to shade your eyes so you can read real close. Just be sure you keep one eye on the horizon and one hand near your holster. For…\nWith dark intentions and creatures astride, 
Something wicked this way rides.\nEnjoy stories from these talented authors 
Gustavo Bondoni – Marilyn “Mattie” Brahen – Kenneth Bykerk – Dwain Campbell – Gregg Chamberlain – Vonnie Winslow Crist – Stuart Croskell – Lawrence Dagstine – J.B. Dane – Kevin M. Folliard – John A. Frochio – Steve Gladwin – L.L. Hill – Adrian Ludens – Stefan Markos – Jonathon Mast – Jason J. McCuiston – Gregory L. Norris – Q Parker – Peter Prellwitz – John B. Rosenman – Alistair Rey – Darrell Schweitzer – Bradley H. Sinor – Matias Travieso-Diaz – Charles Wilkinson – Martin Zeigler

Something Wicked This Way Rides

Schweitzer, Darrell

Thomas, Andrea

Dane, J.B.

Rosenman, John B.

Winslow Crist, Vonnie

Brahen, Marilyn "Mattie"

"Campbell's writing is poignant and riveting..." Publishers Weekly"A diverse collection of tales worthy of The Twilight Zone." Beth Daniels, Author of Muse to ManuscriptA cafe owner lives with the psychic gift of communicating with the dead.An interview with Bubba, Death's youngest sibling, about his own entrepreneurship.A runner's struggle, both physical and emotional, in a difficult marathon.Two boys, brothers, who lose their campsite and find shelter in a strange brick structure.Laura J. Campbell has gathered twenty-eight of her stories that have been lost to the wilds of the internet or fallen into the virtual dust bin of the out-of-print. She presents them here not just to preserve them, but also to share her experiences through her writing. Laura helps us live a lifetime across the globe and beyond in the pages of this book, spanning from childhood to adulthood, from strange but exciting lands on the other side of the world to our own transformed homes and personal spaces. Her timelines span from the age of Vikings as they grapple with Mayan cult sacrifices to far into the future where space travel has captivated us, and an apocalypse has changed us. Here you will find extraordinary humans, inner demons, and travelers and gatekeepers wise than us... and you will learn to heed their warnings.No matter your reading preference, you'll find a story that will touch your heart, scare your soul, and ignite your wonder when you visit this book."Campbell's collection has it all... But most of all, it has a heart." Elana Gomel, Author of The Cryptids

No Lesser Angels, No Greater Devils

Literary

"John McFarland has written a grand opera of a tale." ~ Elizabeth Donald, author of The Cold Ones, Nocturne, and Setting Suns\n"Richly imagined, this is an intricate, intelligent and absorbing tale of faith and sacrifice." ~ John Linwood Grant, author of Where All is Night, and Starless\nThe small town of St. Odile is about to host a new visitor.\nPerdita Badon-Reed has come to this place to hone her skills as a sculptress, but also to escape a life behind her, including a fiancé, that she isn’t sure she wants. For a woman in 1882, this is a huge risk, but her strong will determines she must take it. She believes staying at the home of her uncle, Father Condell, and taking on a commissioned sculpture will help clear her emotions and find meaning to her need for escape.\nBut all is not as it seems in this quiet community. Its secrets are dark and deep, and Perdita finds herself entangling in them. A young woman sentenced to death attaches herself to Perdita, an orphaned girl at the convent sees visions and illustrates them with a talent beyond her years, and a persistent strangeness hovers as to why Perdita’s fiancé’s sister lost her life in connection to this town. But the most mysterious of all is Orien Bastide, an extremely wealthy man who seems to be a benefactor to St. Odile but is an enigma, nearly a legend, to the residents.\nPerdita’s embroilment becomes an urgency to help those around her, to find answers to perplexing questions that continue to mystify. Her persistence and strength preserve, but will they be enough to save her from an unimaginable horror waiting in the shadows?\nJohn S. McFarland successfully weaves together history and fiction to create this gothic mystery novel, a tale with a chilling narrative sure to pique your interest while slipping beneath your skin. St. Odile will stay with you long after you’ve left the confines of the pages… come and learn why.\n"...McFarland sets the mood early and keeps you immersed in it until the end." ~ Debbie Monterrey, KMOX Radio

The Black Garden

"[McCuiston] did it. He made science fiction fun again!" ~ Philip Athans, author of Writing Monsters and The Best Fantasy Authors Handbook\nTHE GHOST OF THE FRONTIER IS LOST IN UNCHARTED SPACE!\nA desperate battle with space pirates cuts the Last Star Warden off from Quantum, the Ranger VII, and even the explored galaxy!\nThe Forbidden City of Un Quan: Stranded on the deadly jungle world of Un Quan in an unfamiliar binary system, the Warden finds himself embroiled in a generational war between two rival factions. Though the primitive tribes each see themselves as unique, the Warden can't help but see their similarities. The answer to the mystery of this age-old rift as well as any hope of returning to the Frontier lies in the Forbidden City, and the Warden must work with the scions of the two tribes to find it.\nThe First Star Warden: Meanwhile, the architect of the rogue bridge that facilitated the Warden's unexpected sojourn puts his plans of invasion into action. The Warden soon finds himself standing between his newfound friends on Un Quan and the man he most idolized in his youth. A man who has brought an army of cybernetically enhanced super soldiers to colonize the Bronze Age world.\nThe Fate of Un Quan: As diplomats from the United Planetary Council arrive on Un Quan to negotiate with the natives, a powerful force from Uncharted Space moves to intercede. Reunited with Quantum, the Warden must juggle political responsibilities with an apocalyptic interstellar threat while dealing with his own profound personal loss.\nACTION! ADVENTURE! MYSTERY! INTRIGUE! ROMANCE! All to be found in\nTHE LAST STAR WARDEN VOLUME II: THE UN QUAN SAGA\n"[This] is retro sci-fi at its best. A sense of wonder permeates McCuiston's novel and makes readers long for The Last Star Warden's next perilous mission." ~ Vonnie Winslow Crist, award-winning author of Dragon Rain, Murder on Marawa Prime, and other books\n"The Star Warden is a straightforward hero - no deconstruction, no metanarrative, no satirization... He's a rarity in his world, and in this one as well." ~ Carl R. Jennings, Reviewer for Phantasmagoria Magazine and author of Just About Anyone

The Last Star Warden Volume II - The Un Quan Saga

The Tension of a Coming Storm

Ludens, Adrian

"Come for the dinosaurs, stay for the humans." 
~ Jason J. McCuiston, author of Project Notebook\nIn the primordial world of New Pangea, the mining settlement Columbia struggles against a barren environment, fearsome Deinonychuses, and scavenging pterosaurs. If only the dinosaurs were the deadliest threat.\nA pack of raiders who bond with carnivores plague the town with relentless attacks, murdering innocents and plundering resources. The raiders capture Ambassador Niles Stanton, a visiting diplomat, alongside Caleb West, a tough-as-nails orphan. Because the Alpha raider mistakenly believes that Caleb is Stanton's son, he agrees to train the boy as one of their pack - so long as Stanton fulfills an undisclosed favor.\nAs they plot their escape, Stanton and Caleb must maintain their ruse, live among their enemies, and survive bloodthirsty carnotaurs. But countless lives hang in the balance when Stanton learns of the Alpha's plot, involving complete devastation throughout Columbian and perhaps all of New Pangea.\nSet in the tradition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, Carnivore Keepers explores the steep cost of survival when human societies compete against nature... and each other.\n"A rip-roaring read!" 
~ Gregg Chamberlain, short story author

Carnivore Keepers

Folliard, Kevin M.

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